Predictors and outcomes of extubation failures in a pediatric intensive care unit: A retrospective study.

Objectives: This study was aimed at determining the extubation failure (EF) rate in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and assessing the etiology, associated risk factors, and outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 335 pediatric patients admitted to King Abdulaziz University Hospital between 2018 and 2020, ranging in age from 1 month to 14 years, who required invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) for >24 h. Extubation readiness was determined by the attending pediatric intensive care physician, according to the patients' clinical status and extubation readiness criteria.

Corticosteroids treatment for pediatric acute respiratory syndrome: A critical review.

Approximately 25% of all pediatric consultations are due to respiratory conditions, 10% of which are for asthma. Regarding prevalence, bronchiolitis, acute bronchitis, and respiratory infections are other leading pediatric respiratory illnesses. Compared to the aforementioned diseases, pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is rare but lethal in the Intensive Care Unit patients.

Domestic violence and child maltreatment awareness among medical students at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

Background: Violence is a critical public health problem resulting in more than 1 million yearly deaths. Clinical examination of the victim by a trained physician is vital for abuse discovery.

Objective: The present study evaluated the medical students' awareness levels about the concept of violence with the help of a questionnaire.

Can inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) be used to assess differences of CRBSI rates between non-tunneled femoral and jugular CVCs in PICU patients?

Background: In children in the ICU, catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) have also been linked to mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. Although CRBSI poses many potential risks, including the need to avoid femoral access, there is debate regarding whether jugular access is preferable to femoral access in adults. Study reports support both perspectives.

Patterns and Determinants of Change in Cortisol Levels and Thyroid Function as a Function of Cardiac Risk in Children Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are exposed to the risk of hormonal imbalances resulting from acute stress, which may eventually result in high postoperative mortality and morbidity.

Objective: We assessed adrenal and thyroid hormonal changes and their determinants following cardiac surgery in children and explored their prognostic value in predicting cardiac outcomes. .

An Insight into the Current Understanding of Status Epilepticus: From Concept to Management.

Status epilepticus (SE), a subset of epilepsy, represents a debilitating neurological disorder often associated with alarming mortality and morbidity numbers. Even though SE is one of the extensively researched topics with conspicuous data available in the literature, a scientific gap exists in understanding the heterogeneous facets of the disorder like occurrence, definition, classification, causes, molecular mechanisms, etc., thereby providing a defined management program.

Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Hyponatremia in Pediatric Intensive Care.

A retrospective chart review was conducted to estimate the prevalence and severity level of hyponatremia on admission at the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a Saudi tertiary hospital. Hyponatremia was highly prevalent (67.2%) and severe hyponatremia was frequent among patients with Pediatric Risk of Mortality score > 10%.

Ultrasound guidance for central vascular access in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit.

Background: Percutaneous central venous cannulation (CVC) in infants and children is a challenging procedure, and it is usually achieved with a blinded, external landmark-guided technique. Recent guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend the use of ultrasound guidance for central venous catheterization in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this method in a pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit, assessing the number of attempts, access time (skin to vein), incidence of complication, and the ease of use for central venous access in the neonatal age group.